Phototherapy vs. Tanning Beds | Members on Using Tanning Beds | Risks | Support

“Anyone here tried tanning beds to help with psoriasis?” asked one member of MyPsoriasisTeam. Another replied, “Tanning helps my psoriasis — however, I try to use it responsibly,” while a third member noted, “I resorted to using tanning beds when I lost insurance, but I ended up with skin cancer.”

Some members of MyPsoriasisTeam have tried using tanning beds to reduce the itching, redness, flaking, and other symptoms psoriasis can cause.

Anecdotal evidence suggests tanning beds may help some people with psoriasis, but there are serious risks to using ultraviolet light such as in tanning beds without a doctor’s supervision. Read on for more information about the risks and benefits of tanning beds and psoriasis.

Phototherapy vs. Tanning Beds

Phototherapy, also known as light therapy, is an approved treatment for psoriasis. It’s usually prescribed by a dermatologist. Phototherapy is treatment with special types of light, such as ultraviolet B light (UVB). You might undergo PUVA therapy. This means you take a medication called psoralen and you’re treated with ultraviolet A light (UVA). Laser treatment is another type of phototherapy that uses an excimer laser — a special tool that uses focused light to improve psoriasis symptoms.

Some people with psoriasis choose to visit commercial tanning salons as an alternative to phototherapy. However, the National Psoriasis Foundation, American Academy of Dermatology, and many other organizations discourage the use of tanning beds and sunlamps.

The American Cancer Society and its nearly two dozen health partners have concluded that there is no medical reason to use tanning beds to diagnose or treat psoriasis or other diseases.

Problems With Tanning Beds

Commercial tanning beds emit mostly UVA light, not UVB. UVB light is primarily responsible for the benefits of light therapy. Narrowband UVB emits a very specific wavelength of light that causes less skin damage.

Additionally, commercial tanning devices cannot be safely monitored like phototherapy can. During phototherapy, a medical professional carefully monitors the ratio of UVA and UVB rays and can change this ratio as needed. These rays can be applied directly to the skin’s affected areas. In contrast, a commercial tanning device generally covers the entire body.

Does Tanning Help Psoriasis? Members Share Their Experiences

Some MyPsoriasisTeam members have discussed using commercial tanning beds to treat their psoriasis with light exposure. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that tanning has serious health risks, which must be weighed against the possible effects on psoriasis symptoms.

As one member captured in their post, some people acknowledge the risks associated with commercial tanning: “The tanning bed helps my psoriasis plus my joints. I understand the risks of skin cancer, and I choose to take that risk.”

Other members have talked about how commercial tanning beds have helped lessen their psoriasis symptoms. “Doing better after three trips to the tanning bed,” wrote one member. “After just three 15-minute visits with the tanning bed, my sores are drying up fantastically!”

Another member wrote that tanning beds “really help with the itching,” while another simply said they “feel so much better” after they leave a tanning session.

One MyPsoriasisTeam member noted that tanning has only helped them a little in the past — it “just depends on the part of the body. It never helped with my scalp.”

These testimonials should be taken into consideration with the serious risks of tanning beds as treatment.

Risks of Using Tanning Beds for Psoriasis

Although commercial tanning may help some people with psoriasis, the bottom line is that the ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning beds causes skin cancer. In 2009, the World Health Organization increased the classification of UV-emitting indoor tanning devices to the highest level of cancer risk. This put indoor tanning devices in the same category as tobacco and asbestos.

Indoor tanning use can cause several types of skin cancer. If you use indoor tanning devices before age 35, it increases your melanoma risk by 59 percent, squamous cell carcinoma risk by 67 percent, and basal cell carcinoma risk by 29 percent. In many cases, skin cancers develop years after using a tanning bed. Discuss the risks and benefits of sun exposure for psoriasis with your dermatologist.

In addition, some MyPsoriasisTeam members have experienced sunburns from tanning beds that made their psoriasis symptoms worse. “The worst psoriasis I ever had was when I was 15,” one member wrote. “And it happened because of a burn from a tanning bed. Doctor-prescribed and doctor-monitored is definitely the way to go.”

Find Your Team

Managing and living with psoriasis can be challenging. But you don’t have to go it alone.

MyPsoriasisTeam is the social network for people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and their loved ones. Here, 126,000 members come together to ask questions, offer advice and support, and share their experiences.

Have you tried tanning or phototherapy for psoriasis? Share your experience in the comments below or by posting on your Activities page.